We've put together a roster of moms, and a dad or two, who will join us on Illinois Edition to take on issues that matter to those trying to successfully raise children in these hectic modern times. Rachel Otwell, NPR Illinois reporter and the mother of a toddler, hosts the rotating panel.

Joining us for the first episode is Kelly Wickham Hurst, a Springfield local who is a mother of 6, a former classroom teacher, and a current middle school administrator. She also has a blog she calls Mocha Momma. Kim Leistner runs SpringfieldMoms.org and has two daughters ages 11 and 13. She is also a brand manager for a major digital learning company. N’Jema McIntyre is the mother of two: a 6 year old & a 22 year old. She's also a student of black studies at Northern Illinois University.

On this episode the moms talk about their personal parenting styles, which bathrooms transgender students should use and the debate around that playing out in the state and country and how to de-clutter and save money on summer clothing for kids.

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"The love of pleasure [among the young] will not be denied," wrote Jane Addams from Hull House nearly a century ago, "and when it has turned into all sorts of malignant and vicious appetites, then we, the middle aged, grow quite distracted and resort to all sorts of restrictive measures."

The bathroom Alex McCray used during his sophomore year at Williamsville High School was small, dark, subject to extreme temperature fluctuations, and inconveniently located. Near the end of his junior year, he asked school administrators to allow him to use the boys' bathroom. McCray, who was born female, has identified as male for several years.

In Illinois, House bill 6073 would make it so transgender people can change the sex designation on their birth certificate without having to have reassignment surgery. Proponents of the measure say it's a needed change since not all trans people want the surgery, and many who do can't afford it.

When historians look back on this time, they might well refer to it as the “Age of Food.”

Food appreciation is a hobby. Chefs are rock-star famous. Grocery stores carry exotic items once only available in restaurants. Blogs are devoted to every kind of cuisine. “Food porn” glamorizes images of food. In fact, so many people call themselves “foodies,” some chefs and critics are shunning the word.